Birmingham City are close to signing Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing, according to MirrorSport.
The 33-year-old made a move back to his boyhood club Boro two years ago in the summer of 2015 but, after the arrival of new boss Garry Monk, Downing’s time at the Riverside looks to be coming to an end as the ex-Leeds United manager told the winger he can leave.
After two seasons with West Ham United, Downing moved back home to Middlesbrough for a reported £5.5 million fee and instantly won promotion back to the Premier League in the midfielder’s first full season outside the top-flight. The ex-England international accumulated a huge 49 appearances as Boro finished runners-up in the Championship.
Despite having two years left on his contract, Downing looks set to leave Monk’s side and Birmingham City are well-known admirers of the veteran. It is reported that the Blues have progressed past the stages of showing interest and are now close to signing the winger.
Birmingham manager Harry Redknapp was promised to be financially backed by owners Trillion Trophy Asia and has already signed Marc Roberts and Craig Gardner for undisclosed fees this summer. Whilst Downing’s wages will be expensive, the winger will bring a great deal of experience to the West Midlands club. The Middlesbrough-born player has 572 professional appearances to his name, with over 500 of those made whilst at Premier League clubs. Downing has European experience and 35 England caps.
Redknapp’s team visit Ipswich Town in their opening game of the season next month and the addition of Stewart Downing would be valuable as Birmingham look to improve on last term’s 19th-placed finish.
